Sponsored by Lerner Books
Fifteen-year-old Verdad doesn’t think she has time for love. She’s still struggling to process the recent death of her best friend, dealing with the high expectations of her hardworking Puerto Rican mother, and keeping everyone at a distance. But when she meets Danny, a new guy at school—who happens to be trans—all bets are off. Verdad suddenly has to deal with her mother’s disapproval of her relationship with Danny as well as her own prejudices and questions about her identity. Not to mention Danny himself, who is comfortable in his skin but keeping plenty of other secrets.
Hi-ho, Kermit the Frog here!
Wait, no, lemme start again.
Hello, book lovers! It’s Liberty Hardy again, sitting in again today while Katie McLain finishes up her vacation. I’m excited to be doing this again today, because as I mentioned last week, my mother was a librarian for most of my childhood, so I was practically raised in the library. (But don’t let that frighten you into keeping your kids away from the library. It took a lot more than that for me to turn out this weird. They’ll be fine.)
So I have more bookish news and lists for you today, to keep you up-to-date on the happenings in library land, and some useful resources for keeping up with upcoming releases. So buckle in!
And remember, Katie says: “Starting September 17th, you’ll be getting TWO doses of Check Your Shelf in your inboxes each week on Tuesdays and Fridays! Tuesdays will focus on collection development and book lists, while Fridays will be more about news-y items. Thank you to all you readers who have made this newsletter such a success!!”
P.S. More fun news: be sure to enter Book Riot’s giveaway of the year’s 10 best mystery/thrillers so far!
Libraries & Librarians
News Updates
- Young adult author Julia Watts pulled from Knox Library’s Teen Festival lineup because she also writes ‘erotica.’
- Update information on the protests of Macmillan’s new e-book policies for libraries.
- “Boston Public Library Leads Once Again in Digital Lending.”
- Yale’s Bass Library to offer textbooks in reserves.
- BookExpo is going back to a two-day trade show.
- ALA announced that National Library Legislative Day will be in May 2020.
- The International Literacy Association launches Children’s Rights to Read Campaign.
- Racine Public Library adds a part-time social worker to work with patrons facing crises.
Cool Library Updates
- Patience and Fortitude are getting a laser bath.
- “The Crack Squad of Librarians Who Track Down Half-Forgotten Books.”
- No more overdue fines for patrons of libraries in Detroit or Phoenix.
- “UCLA Library Celebrates the University’s Centennial with OpenUCLA.”
- Contra Costa County Library unveiled new card designs.
- “Libraries and Archivists Are Scanning and Uploading Books That Are Secretly in the Public Domain.”
- 10 unexpected things you can get at the library.
- “UNLV Alumna Beverly Rogers Establishing a $5 Million Endowment to Support a Rare Books Curator and Bolster Rare Books Collection at UNLV University Libraries.”
- A Libraries/Friends mashup.
- Birmingham Public Library getting marriage license traffic.
- Tiny libraries inside art sculptures appear in Santa Barbara.
- “Thousands of Ideas Shared by Librarians From Around the World Now Available on the IFLA Global Vision Ideas Store.”
- The Library of Congress shared a September 11 Web Archive documenting several news, government, charity & tribute websites related to 9/11.
- Newberry Library to receive Eastland disaster collection.
- A UK library that welcomes overnight guests.
Worth Reading
- “Next Phase of the IMLS/COSLA “Measures That Matter” Collaboration Will Explore Link Between Public Libraries, Workforce Development, and Community Wellbeing.”
- “Homeless patrons find community, comfort at Minneapolis Central Library.”
- Using hip-hop lyrics in library lessons to engage youth in activism.
- New open web reference resources for the new NFL Season.
- How Little Free Libraries influenced Little Free Pantries.
- Gender inclusivity and equity in academic libraries.
- United Nations releases first digital economy report.
- How libraries are embracing artificial intelligence.
- 2019 Adult books on children’s literature.
Book Adaptations in the News
- Markus Sakey’s superhero novel Brilliance is being made into a movie, with Will Smith to play the lead.
- Richard Dormer will appear in the BBC’s adaptation of Terry Pratchett’s The Watch.
- Whoopi Goldberg has joined the cast of the new adaptation of The Stand.
- Rupert Everett has taken a role in the Broadway revival of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? He replaces Eddie Izzard, who had to drop out because of a schedule conflict.
- Ali Fazal has joined the cast of Death on the Nile.
- Netflix is making a Young Wallander series, based on the character from the Henning Mankell novels.
- The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders has been optioned for a series.
- 8 major books with upcoming adaptations.
Collection Development Corner
New & Upcoming Titles
- Oprah: 18 Must-Read Books for Fall.
- Den of Geek: Best new fantasy books for September.
- Huffington Post: 14 books to add to your fall reading list.
- Fodors: 16 travel books to read this fall.
- Refinery29: The best books to read in September.
- Hello Giggles: 11 best new books to read in September.
- The most popular books on Goodreads published in September 2019.
- Barnes and Noble: The best scifi and fantasy books of September 2019.
- Popsugar: 20 best books of September 2019.
- Bustle: 35 new books out in September 2019.
- The New York Times: 17 new books to watch for in September 2019.
- Chicago Review of Books: The best books of September 2019.
- Vox: The 12 most anticipated books of fall.
- Ms. Magazine: Reads for the Rest of Us: September 2019.
- Time: The 42 most anticipated books of Fall 2019.
Books & Authors in the News
- The Testaments, Margaret Atwood’s sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale, came out on Tuesday.
- Attica Locke on her latest novel, Heaven, My Home.
- Elena Ferrante’s new novel will be available in Italy on November 7, with an English translation hopefully not too far behind.
- Emma Cline, author of The Girls, announced a new collection coming in 2020.
Award News
- The 2019 ALA Award winners.
- 2019 American Poets Prizes.
- Here are the nominees for the 2019 Scotiabank Giller Prize.
Pop Cultured
- It bears repeating: here’s the trailer for the BBC series adaptation of Tana French’s Dublin Murder Squad books.
- Here’s the first trailer for BET’s new adaptation of The First Wive’s Club.
- 12 biggest music memoirs being published this fall.
All Things Comics
- A guide to banned comics for Banned Books Week.
- Hellmouth comic crossover brings Buffy and Angel back together.
- ‘Disney Plus eyes Hailee Steinfeld for lead role in Hawkeye series.
Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists
Children/Teens
- 50 YA paperbacks for fall.
- 15 great books about foster kids.
- 25 books that teach kids to care about the environment.
Adults
- 4 perfect books for September.
- 11 books for fall (without any scary bits.) (YA & adult)
- Book Riot celebrated Poe Day, with MANY Edgar Allan Poe-related lists.
- 10 books like Circe by Madeline Miller (YA & adult)
- 5 readalikes for The Goldfinch.
- 20 must-read books about disease, being sick, and the history of medicine.
- 5 great books about expats.
- Top 10 Judy Blume books. (YA & adult)
- 4 books Bill Gates says you should read right now.
- 18 books from smaller publishers that deserve your attention.
- 7 books to read after The Handmaid’s Tale.
- Feminist books, podcasts and movies to look forward to this fall.
- Top 10 culinary memoirs.
Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous
- Books as more than fonts of information or fun.
- How googly eyes solved one of today’s trickiest UX problems.
Level Up (Library Reads)
Do you take part in LibraryReads, the monthly list of best books selected by librarians only? We’ve made it easy for you to find eligible diverse titles to nominate. Kelly Jensen created a database of upcoming diverse books that anyone can edit, and Nora Rawlins of Early Word is doing the same, as well as including information about series, vendors, and publisher buzz.
Thanks for joining me today! And thanks to Katie for letting me push the buttons on the motherboard.
–Liberty, @franzencomesalive on Instagram